Guide device for key-opened cans



May 17, 1955 P. H. PATTERSON 2,708,530

GUIDE DEVICE FOR KEY-OPENED CANS Filed July 20, 1954 S Er s INVENTURPaui .HPa/Zerson ATTOR N15 Y United States Patent 2,708,530 GUIDE DEVICEFOR KEY-OPENED CANS Paul H. Patterson, Columbus, Ohio Application July20, 1954, Serial No. 444,497 1 Claim. (Cl. 220-52) -This invention-hasparticular reference to an improved guide device for use in associationwith sealed key-opened metallic cansof the type-commonly employed in thepackaging and preservation of various food-products Such key-operatedcans are formed to"include'cylindrical sheet-metal bodies in which areincorporated adjacent to the top o'f-"each can a 'removable strip. Inuse, a vertically held manually operated key having a slotted shank isdisposed at the side of such a can, contiguous to the top thereof, witha free end of the can wall strip inserted in the opening of the keyshank. Then, upon rotation of the key about the long axis of its shank,the strip is caused to be wrapped spirally around the key shank and thekey caused to move circumferentially around the can-as the strip is tornfree from the side wall formation of the can. These operations arepursued until the strip 'is' completely torn free from the side wallforma tion and the top of the canthereby separated from the side wallthereof so that the edible contents of the can may be readily removedand utilized as desired. Itis a matter of common knowledge that in theopening of such strip-sealed cans it isoften diflicult .to maintain thespiral convolutions "of the strip," as the latter is being wound about akey shank, in a common horizontal plane until the strip has been fullyremoved from a can body. Unless such a plane is maintained thekey'beeoines inefiective in performing its intended functions;Therefore, it is a common practice to hold and guide the spiral stripwindings intones fingers during the opening of a can with likelihood ofincurring physical injury thereof.

"Accordingly, it is one of the leading objects of the present inventionto provide a guide-forming appliance to assist an operator in theopening of a key-actuated strip-sealed food-containing can, and whereinthe appliance is so formed that when operatively mounted on such akey-opened can it will be necessary only for the operator to rotate thekey in producing guided winding of the sealing strip about its shank,this being accomplished in a manner precluding slippage of the windingsrelative to the key shank.

Another object is to provide a simple, readily employed and positivelyoperating guide device adaptable readily to cans of varying size andconstruction and which provides an improvement generally in the field towhich it is specifically adaptable.

For a further understanding of the invention, reference is to be had tothe following description and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a top plan view of key-opened can, and disclosing my improvedstrip-guiding device mounted thereon;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view disclosing the guide device wheninverted and adapted to a can having a sealing strip positioned moreclosely to the top of the can than the strip used on the can of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a detail horizontal sectional view on the line 66 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail sectional view on the line 7-7 of Fig. 5.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there has Patented May 17,1955 been disclosed at 10 a conventional strip-sealed can of the typeemployed quite commonly in the anti-oxidation packaging of foodstuffs,such as meats, coffee, nuts and the like. Such cans employ cylindricalside closed by top and bottom walls walls 11 12 and 13, respectively.Adjacent to the top wall thereof, each of saidcans has its side wallformed with a separable sealing strip 141 which when the can is sealedto protect the 'con'te'nts=' thereof forms a component partwall'structure. The strip however positioned bendable lip 15 on one ofthe cylindrical side able manually operated key 16 ried by the can onthe exterior includes an externally end thereof and when it is desiredto open such a can,-use is-made'of a detaeh'-"- which is normally.carthereof but which may- Customarily, the key is provided with a shank17 in which is formed a longitudinal slot 18. In practice, the

key is positioned adjacent to the can so that the lip 15 may be insertedinto the slot and bent around the shankw" The. key is then manuallyrotated about its long axis-so that the tear strip 14 is spirallywrapped about the same As a result of such wrapping, the side wallformation of the the strip is torn free from can and the top 12 of thecan is completely separated from the side wall formation,

thus allowing the contents of the can to be readily removed in awell-understood manner.

As previously set forth, it is often a diflicult practical matter. tooperate such a key in a manner confining the strip convolutions to asingle plane when wrappedabout 1 the key shank. .If the convolutions areallowed to slip,

it is often difiicult to restore the same permitting of'the tighteningthereof and the applying of pulling forces to of joinder with the canside wall.

about the key shank As illustrated inthe to a single plane the strip atits region drawing, the present invention provides a guide devicescapable of ready application to strip-sealed cans of-th'e type set forthand which functions to hold the strip in its'- properl-yj wrappedpositions aboutthe key shank in per mitting of a rapid and positiveoperation in the removal of the sealing strip to open an associated can.

In its presently preferred for my improved guide device comprises anangular bracket member B which in this instance includes an elongatedvertical leg 19 Which cent its under surface a pair of bead-engagingguide wheels 22 rotatably carried by axle pins 23 depending from thebracket leg 20. The peripheries of the wheels 22 are adjusted to engagethe inner surfaces of an upstanding circular bead 24 formed at thejuncture of the cylindrical side wall formation of the can with thehorizontal top or lid wall thereof.

Also, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the vertical leg of the bracket B isformed with an elongated slot 25 for the sliding reception of anoutwardly projecting threaded stud 26 carried by the upper end of thevertical arm of an angle member 27, the outer end of the stud beingequipped with a wing nut or the like 28 which, when tightened, serves toretain the angle member in various positions of vertical adjustment onthe bracket B in adapting the guide device to cans of varying height.Rocking movement of the angle member relative to the bracket isprevented by providing the vertical arm of said angle member below thestud 26 with a fixed laterally projecting pin 29 arranged within theslot 25.

The horizontally disposed arm of the angle member 27 conforms to theconfiguration of the bracket leg 20 and has mounted on the upper surfacethereof contiguous to its outer end a pair of transversely spaced Wheels30 arranged vertically in registry with the Wheels 22, thecircumferential portions of the wheels 39 being engaged with the bottomwall 13 of the can shown in Fig. 2 in contact with the inner surfaces ofthe circular bead 31 uniting the bottom of the can with the side wallthereof. It will be seen that by adjusting the angle member 27vertically on the bracket B, the lower pair of wheels 30' may be broughtinto guiding contact with the bottom bead 31 and in a mannercompensating for differences in the height of the cans.

The horizontal leg 20 of the bracket B and the cor responding arm of theangle member 27 are slotted as at 32 to slidably receive headed pins orscrews 33 carried by guide blocks 34 and 35 The block 34, as it isviewed in Fig. 2, is slidably' mounted beneath the bracket leg 20 and.is carried by the pins or screws 33 The block 35, as also shown in Fig.2, is slidably joined through the use of the pins or screws 33 with theupper surface of the horizontal arm of the angle member 27. Both ofthese blocks are formed with guide recesses 36 for the reception of thespiral windings of the strip 14 of a can as such a strip is being woundabout the shank of a key 16. Further, the blocks are vertically slottedas at 37 for the reception of a key shank, as shown more particularly inFig. 5. To press the blocks 34 and 35 yieldably forward into Contactwith the can side walls, each block includes a rod 38 which is slidablyreceived in a bore 39 formed in a socket member 40 carried by thevertical bracket leg 19 and the vertical arm of the angle member 27. Acoiledexpansion spring 41 is interposed between the blocks 34 and 35 andsaid bracket and angle member and disposed about the block rods 38, sothat the expansive force of said springs may be used to press the blocksforwardly and outwardly toward the can side wall structure.

The lower block 35 is somewhat thinner and of less height than the upperblock 34. This is done in order thatithe guide device may be adaptedquickly to variations in the: positions of the sealing strips providedon different cans. If the sealing strip is disposed well below the bead24 at the top of a can, is arranged so that the thicker or higher block34 will be presented in horizontal registry to the strip. If on theother hand the strip is arranged closer to the head 24, as in Fig. 4,the guide device is inverted with respect to the operating position ofFig. 2 so that the narrow 10wheight block 35 will be disposed inregistry with the removable sealing strip of the can. When such registryhas been obtained, the key isinserted in the receiving slots providedtherefor and the bendable lip 15 at one end of the strip is engaged withthe" slot 18 in the key shank 17. Rotation of the key then causes thestrip to be wound spirally about the same, with the strip windingsconfined in the block recess 36,- thereby holding the windings,regardless of their increasing diameter as the key is rotated, in saidrecesses in a manner causing the full and complete removal of thesealing strip from the can structure. Following such strip removal, thetop wall or lid 12 of the can. is freed from connection with the sidewall formations, so that the top wall or lid may be lifted from the canbody to provide complete access to the contents of the can.

I claim:

A guide appliance for use in the opening. of key-actuated strip-sealedmetallic containers, comprising: a frame adapted to be arranged at theside of such a can and to rotate bodily around the same, said frameincluding vertically spaced inwardly and horizontally directed armsarranged to receive between them the ends of said container; wheel meanscarried by the arms, said means being engageable with annular beadsformed on the ends ofsaid containers; and spring-pressed guide blocksslidably car ried by said arms for movement toward and away fromverticalside wall formations of said container inwhich removable sealing stripsof the container are disposed, said blocks being formed with recessesadapted for regis try with said strips to receive the latter when thesame are Wound about the shanks of turnable keys joined with said:strips and rotatably and removably positioned invertically registeringopenings formed in said arms and blocks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,646,719 Young Oct. 25, 1927 1,759,364 Quigg' May 20, i930 Stiller Apr.14, 1953 as illustrated in Fig. 2, the device

